Hello all,
I am submitting a caucus for the 2019 AOM conference focused on creating a space for LGBTQQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and related identities) academics to meet, discuss our current work, and network. As most of you likely know, part of submitting a caucus is including a number of interested AOM members' names, emails, and affiliations in the submission. While I already have the requisite five, I wanted to extend this opportunity to others who may want their name included in the submission. This participation does NOT count against the rule of three, nor does it obligate you to attend the caucus. Please feel free to contact me directly (reply here, or email mjr38@case.edu) if you would like me to include you on the submission. I will be submitting on Friday, January 4th.
The bulk text of the proposal's current draft is below:
For people with marginalized identities, the concept of inclusion differs widely based on the intersections of various identities and their own unique experiences. This caucus aims to allow LGBTQQIA+ members of the academy to meet, discuss their current academic work, and to identify and share strategies and experiences to help each other thrive in academia and the Academy of Management specifically. This space will allow for a depth of community building that will help connect all LGBTQQIA+ members, regardless of the focus of their work. While the mentorship and support of allosexual cisgender and heterosexual members of the academy are crucial for our survival and thriving as well, this space will allow community members the freedom to operate and network specifically with each other.
The caucus will be split into three broad sections: introductions, discussion of work, and thriving in the academy. For introductions, participants will identify how they would like to be addressed, pronouns, and institutional affiliation. The next section will continue similarly, allowing participants to talk about their current or most recent project (or for newer Ph.D. students, their intended area of interest), and what they are doing this year at AOM. Finally, the last section of the caucus will be a broad discussion on thriving in the academy, identifying how our marginalized identities impact or interact with our experiences and how to leverage our differences in ways that are healthy, holistic, and allow us to flourish. The specific setup of these activities may change based on attendance. However, the intention is to have a large, single-group discussion.
This caucus adheres to a broad-spectrum definition of the queer, transgender, intersex, and asexual community as one that has overlapping, intersecting, but often different experiences. Anyone who identifies within any of these overarching experiences is welcome to participate. The facilitator is a white, transgender non-binary, queer Ph.D. student in Organizational Behavior whose research interests center on transgender and queer experiences in organizations. Additionally, the facilitator is dedicated to making this space open, affirming, and welcoming to people of color, neurodivergence, and those who must remain closeted in their institution but still wish to seek the support of their community.
The caucus appeals specifically to a small minority of AOM members, but it is an under-represented and often-marginalized network of minorities in academia at large. While the aim is not to foster the development of new ideas or emerging topics, the networking and community building accomplished will encourage collaboration and the free exchange of ideas and experiences. The primary goal of this caucus is to identify a cohort of LGBTQQIA+ members of the academy that persists beyond this individual conference. Finally, the conference theme of Understanding the Inclusive Organization is directly applicable to this caucus, as allowing marginalized groups the opportunity to meet and discuss their experiences within organizations allows them to build an understanding of how to advocate for themselves and what to advocate for to make their organizations more inclusive.
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Michael James Robinson, M.A., C.D.P.
Case Western Reserve University
Weatherhead School of Business
Organizational Behavior Ph.D. Student
Pronouns: they, them, their
mx.michael.james.robinson@gmail.com /
mjr38@case.edu------------------------------